Multipurpose gun sling



Nov. 5, 1957 D. R. GIRTON MULTIPURPOSE GUN SLIN G Filed April 14, 1955.uvmvroa Fl J G Da/e A. 6/7100 United States Patent MULTIPURPOSEGUN-SLING Dale R. Girton, Brooklyn Township,

' Susquehanna County, Pa.

This invention relates to gun slings and more particularly to a gunsling strap primarily designed for carrying and supporting guns either.in a firing or carrying position but which also has other usefulpurposes.

The primary object of the invention is to provide a combination firingand carrying gun sling which may be used to carry or to aid in supportwhile firing various type and size guns such as rifles, shotguns and thelike.

Another object of the invention is to provide a combination firing andcarrying gun sling which may be readily changed from one gun to anotherand which does not require any permanent attachments on the gun withwhich it is used.

A further object of the invention is to provide a combination firing andcarrying gun sling which is adjustable in length but does not requireany buckles, swivals, clasps, clamps or other metal appurtenancesattached to the gun with which it is used.

Another object of the invention is to provide a combination firing andcarrying gun sling which can be readily removed from the gun, folded andcarried in a pocket or otherwise without bulkiness or inconvenience.

A still further object of the invention is to provide a combinationfiring and carrying sling which may also be used as a carrying strap forvarious articles such as gun cases, fishing rods, skis, ski poles andother objects which lend themselves to allowing the slings two end loopsto be placed around the object or objects to be carried in such a mannerthat the center portion of the sling strap becomes the grip.

Another object of the invention is to provide a combination firing andcarrying sling which may be used to form a tight loop around variousobjects or limbs of a body, such as the leg or arm of a man, to form atourniquet, or the legs of a deer to secure them over a pole forcarryin-g. I

A further object of the invention is to provide a combination firing andcarrying sling which may be used as a short leash on an animal such as ahunting dog, or on a child to retain either of them close to and underthe control of the adult.

A still further object is to provide a gun sling having simplicity ofdesign, economy of construction and efficiency in operation.

The novel features that are considered characteristic of the inventionare set forth with particularity in the appended claims. The inventionitself, however, both as to its organization and its method ofoperation, together with additional objects and advantages thereof, willbest be understood from the following description of a specificembodiment when read in connection with the accompanying drawing,wherein like reference characters indicate like parts through theseveral figures and in which:

Figure 1 is a perspective view of the sling itself in accordance withthe present invention;

Figure 2 is a perspective view of the sling attached to agun;

Figure 3 is a perspective view of the sling utilized as a carrying strapfor various objects;

Figure 4 is a perspective view of the sling utilized as a tourniquet;

Figure 5 is a perspective view of the sling utilized as a short leash ona child, and

Figure 6 is an enlarged fragmentary view in perspective of a portion ofthe sling and one of the keepers.

Referring more specifically to the drawings, particularly to Figure 1, agun sling in accordance with the present invention comprises a strap 1having its end portions folded over to form loops 2 and 3 which areadjustably secured by keepers 5, 6 and 7 for varying the size of theloops and also for adjustment to the length of the sling. The strap maybe made of leather, webbed belt material, canvas or other suitablematerial that is of suflicien-t strength to support a gun on a mansshoulder and arm in either a carrying or firing position.

One end 2' of the strap 1, that is folded over to form the loop 2, issecured to the keeper 7 which is in a form of a ring or sleevesurrounding the main body portion of the strap 1. The keeper 7 isslidable in either direction on the strap 1 and preferably is formed byfolding a short piece of the strap material into 'a small loop andsecuring the ends thereof, and the strap end 2', to each other in anysuitable manner as by sewing, rivets, clips or the like.

The other end 4 of the strap 1, as best shown in Figure 6, is secured tothe keeper 5 which is in the form of a tongueless buckle. The strap end4 is fixed in a loop surrounding one cross bar of the buckle 5 and thebody of the strap 1 is threaded between other cross bars of the buckle 5to releasably cinch the strap to the buckle. Specifically, the bucklehas four cross bars, the strap end 4 being secured to one end bar andthe strap 1 extending under the other end bar and over the adjacentintermediate bar and then under the other intermediate bar.

Obviously, the keeper or buckle 5 may be adjusted in either directionalong the strap 1 but the cinch formed in the strap in traversing thebuckle prevents slippage of the keeper 5 along the strap 1. The keeper 5is adjustable to vary the size of the loop 3 but, primarily, itsfunction is to vary the length of the sling and the keeper 6 is providedto vary the size of the loop 3. The keeper 6 is formed in a mannersimilar to the keeper 7 except that it is not secured to the strap butrather slidably encompasses the runs of the loop 3 and may slide ineither direction along the loop between the keeper 5 and the free end ofthe loop.

In placing the sling on a gun, as shown in Figure 2, the loop 3 is firstslid well down over the barrel of the gun far enough so as to allow theloop 2 to he slid up over and be secured by the keeper 7 to the gunstock immediately below the normal pistol grip portion of the stock. Theloop 3 is then secured at a proper and comfortable posi tion on thebarrel of the gun by the keeper 6. The keeper 5 serves the purpose ofadjusting the length of the sling for comfort in firing or carrying thegun, for use with guns of different sizes and for gunners of variousheights and build, this adjustment being effected by sliding the keeper5 in either direction on the strap 1 prior to securing the loop 3 to thebarrel of the gun by the keeper 6.

The sling forms a multipurpose strap as well as a gun sling, and, asshown in Fig. 3, it may be utilized as a carrying strap for an object,the loops 2 and 3 embracing the object in spaced relation with thekeepers 6 and 7 slid down to tighten the loops on the object. Similarly,the sling may be utilized as a tourniquet, as shown in Fig. 4. In thiscase only the one loop 3 is used with keepers 5 and 6 slid down totighten the loop 3 on the extremity of the body. The sling may also beemployed as a leash and is shown in Fig. 5 as a leash on a child. Theloop 3 embraces the upper part of the childs body while the loop 2 isused as a holder or hand grip by the adult controlling the child l pAlthough a -c'ertain specific embodiment of the invention has been shownandydescribed, it is obvious that many modifications thereofarepossible. The invention, therefore, is not to be restricted exceptinsofar as is necessitated by theprior art and by the spirit of theappended claim.

What I claim is:

In combination with a gun, a sling for supporting said gun in either acarrying or a firing position and comprising a flexible strap foldedback on itself at both ends to form a loop at each end of the strap, oneof said loops securing itsendof the strap to the stock of said gun nearthe normal pistol grip position between the normal trigger position andthe butt of the stock with the other of said loops securing its end ofthe strap to the barrel of the gun, a keeper surrounding the body ofsaid strap 4 v and permanently secured to one end of the strap andslidable in either direction along the strap to vary the size of theloop at that end to provide a loop adjustable in size surrounding andreleasably securing that end of the strap to said gun, a second keepersurrounding the body of said strap and permanently secured to the otherend of the strap and slidable along the central portion of the strap foradjusting the length'of the sling and the size of the adjacent loop, anda third keeper freely :slidable over the folded portion of the strapforming the last mentioned loop to regulate the size of said loop and toprovide a loop adjustable in size surrounding and releasably securingthat end of the strap "to the gun.

